When, in late 2014, guitarists Tchort and BloodPervertor announced that they were leaving Black Metal titans CARPATHIAN FOREST to form their own band the 3rd ATTEMPT, there were some who questioned the wisdom of leaving the safety of such an iconic band in order to start something new. But, less than a year later, on the 25th September, Dark Essence Records is set to release the band’s debut full-length album “Born in Thorns”, which will show just how right the two renowned guitarists were in deciding to leave an environment they felt had become stale and stifling, in order to feel the rush of creativity and enthusiasm once again.

As a taste of what to expect from “Born in Thorns” the track “Art of Domination” has been debuted today and can be heard below:

Barely drawing breath after their announcement, Tchort (GREEN CARNATION, ex-CARPATHIAN FOREST, ex EMPEROR, ex BLOOD RED THRONE) and BloodPervertor ( ex-CARPATHIAN FOREST) chose Ødemark (ex-MIDNATTSVREDE) as their vocalist, following online auditions that elicited responses from both experienced and new vocalists from all over the world. The lineup was then completed with the addition of drummer Tybalt (FORTID, DEN SAAKALDTE) whose performance as a session drummer for the 3rd ATTEMPT at this year’s Blastfest convinced the others that he was the man for the job.

With producer Endre Kirkesola, known for his work with CARPATHIAN FOREST, BLOOD RED THRONE, GREEN CARNATION, URGEHAL, TSJUDER, at the helm, the 3rd ATTEMPT entered the Studio Sanden in Kristiansand to record “Born in Thorns”. Mixing and mastering was done by Marius Strand at the Strand Studio. This is an album that showcases the well-known writing skills of the two founders, as well as contributions from the new members, and turns the old-school Black Metal vibe up several notches by introducing different elements, including rock n roll/black n roll, to produce a unique take on the Classic Black Metal sound, giving it a fresh feeling and a distinctive groove.

Artwork for “Born in Thorns” is by Jon Tønnessen and tracklisting on the ten-track album is as follows:

Having allowed it to remain dormant for a few years, founder and frontman Doedsadmiral has given his Black Metal project SVARTELDER a considerable infusion of both enthusiasm and talent by bringing in members of CARPATHIAN FOREST, IN THE WOODS, DEN SAAKALDTE, PANTHEON I and OLD FOREST to form a new lineup.

Whilst SVARTELDER’s roots were initially planted in Norwegian Black Metal, it is obvious that an influx of musicians with this kind of experience brings with it a whole different set of influences, as each of the members contribute their own skill-sets and style to the overall sound. So much so, in fact, that the band’s newly debuted demo track “Askebundet” clearly shows that SVARTELDER’s music is expanding outwards from straight Black Metal to include more varied elements.

As to the actual lineup itself, the musicians have kept their identities a secret by changing their usual names. Aside from Doedsadmiral on vocals, the rest of the lineup comprises Maletoth on bass and guitars, AK-47 on drums, and Kobold on keys.

The band are currently working on their debut full-length album and will be looking for a label. More information about SVARTELDER can be found on the band’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Svartelder

The demo track “Askebundet” can be heard on the band’s SoundCloud page at

When CARPATHIAN FOREST guitarists Tchort and BloodPervertor announced last year that they were leaving to set up a new band, THE 3rd ATTEMPT, they knew that they were leaving behind them the security of one of the most iconic Norwegian Black Metal bands of all time, and one with a huge following, to start something completely new and unproven, at a time when labels are reluctant to dip their toes into uncharted territories and new bands emerge in their hundreds every week, only to disappear into nothingness. But when you have two musicians with the skill and experience of Tchort (GREEN CARNATION, ex-CARPATHIAN FOREST, ex EMPEROR, ex BLOOD RED THRONE) and BloodPervertor (APOSTASY, ex-CARPATHIAN FOREST, ex NEONGOD), who have the desire to work in an environment that could re-ignite the enthusiasm and creativity they felt they had lost, then a move was inevitable. Interest from various labels was certainly not slow in materialising and today the band are pleased to be able to announce that they have inked a deal with one of Norway’s foremost labels – Dark Essence Records.

Commenting on their decision to sign with Dark Essence, the band had this to say: “Dark Essence signalled their interest in the possibility of working together as soon as we announced THE 3rd ATTEMPT, even before they had heard anything, and they have kept in close touch, actually making the effort to attend rehearsals and get to know our new members. In the end, it came down to a decision as to whether we wanted to sign with a large label and, as a new band, risk disappearing in the depth of their rosters, or whether we wanted to work with a label who was genuinely interested in us as a band, and who would be with us every step of the way, in all aspects. We also heard many good things about Dark Essence from the musicians already signed to them, so, Dark Essence it is! We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us with preparing and rehearsing the new material ready to enter the studio, and we are excited to see what the future will bring”.

Dark Essence Records commented on the signing: “It takes a substantial label to be able to afford to sign a band like CARPATHIAN FOREST, so when it was announced that Tchort and BloodPervertor were leaving and starting again from scratch with THE 3rd ATTEMPT, we were immediately interested in seeing what direction they would take, and opened a dialogue with them . We already knew what formidable musicians they were and what they were capable of, so Dark Essence’s Kristine Knapskog went along to rehearsals to check out their new material. She very much liked their enthusiasm and attitude, and their desire to work closely with a label, and we are very happy to welcome them to the Dark Essence family “.

Aside from Tchort and BloodPervertor, THE 3rd ATTEMPT’s lineup includes frontman Kaahrl Ødemark (ex- MIDNATTSVREDE, ex-NECROCAVE) who was selected following online auditions that drew in submissions from all over the world, and drummer Tybalt (FORTID, DEN SAAKALDTE, ETHEREAL FOREST, ex- HEATHEN DEITY, ex-PANTHEON I) who was originally slated to join the band as session live drummer for an upcoming appearance, but after taking part in rehearsals, it was decided that he would become a full-time member.

The 3rd ATTEMPT’s debut live appearance will be at Blastfest, in Bergen, Norway, on the 18th February, on board the boat “Showline” which will take fans on a 5 hour cruise of Bergen’s spectacular fjord, and which kicks off the 4 day festival.

THE 3rd ATTEMPT recently debuted a demo track “The Beast Within”, which also features CARPATHIAN FOREST’s Daniel Vrangsinn on bass and Anders Kobro on drums, and which was used in a shortened form for the vocalist auditions. It is not a “finished” track. “The Beast Within” can be heard on THE 3rd ATTEMPT’s SoundCloud page below:

Shortly after announcing the formation of their new band THE 3rd ATTEMPT earlier this year and their departure from CARPATHIAN FOREST, guitarists Tchort (GREEN CARNATION, ex-CARPATHIAN FOREST, ex EMPEROR, ex BLOOD RED THRONE) and BloodPervertor (ex-CARPATHIAN FOREST, APOSTASY, ex NEONGOD) went on to announce that they were holding online auditions for the position of vocalist for the new project. As was to be expected when guitarists who had played with some of the biggest, and most iconic Norwegian bands advertised for a frontman, the resulting flood of applications was sizeable, so much so, in fact, that it has taken 4 months to listen to all the auditions and come to a decision.

Commenting on the process Tchort said “We were blown away, not only by the quantity of submissions we received, but also by the quality. Those sending in auditions were given the option of making them public or keeping them private, so what you saw posted on the band’s Facebook page was only the tip of the iceberg of what we had to assess. It took us a long time because we felt that everyone who sent in their demos deserved all the attention we could give them, and we would like to thank all the extraordinarily talented musicians who took part. It was a difficult choice but in the end we opted for former MIDNATTSVREDE and NECROCAVE vocalist Kaahrl Ødemark because his delivery and attitude were very much in keeping with what we had in mind for THE 3rd ATTEMPT. We have put together a demo of a track with Kaahrl on vocals as a way of introducing him to everyone. The track “The Beast Within”, which also features CARPATHIAN FOREST’s Daniel Vrangsinn on bass and Anders Kobro on drums, can be heard below:

Oslo-based Ødemark had this to say about auditioning: “The funny thing is that at first I wasn’t even going to try because I honestly thought that it was just some sort of PR exercise, but in the end I decided to contact the band’s manager and ask if it was real, and she confirmed that it was absolutely legit. So I picked up my microphone, my DAW and a pen and started working on those two demo-tracks 24/7 for a couple of days. I didn’t really have any expectations but I just did my best and before I knew it I was talking to Tchort and BloodPervertor themselves, who asked to hear two full songs. When they told me I’d been chosen as THE 3rd ATTEMPT’s frontman it was hard to sound professional with my brain was screaming ‘Fucking hell, I’m going to be the vocalist for two musicians I’ve worshipped since I was a teenager’. Strangely this will be my third band, so you could also say that this will be my 3rd attempt too!”

Not surprisingly the decision taken by the Tchort and BloodPervertor to leave CARPATHIAN FOREST has raised a fair few questions, but Tchort is quick to put paid to any kind of negative speculation. “People tell me all the time how hard it is to establish a new band these days, and there is no doubt that this is true, but for me it’s not about “making it”, it’s more about having the right environment for my creativity, and that “hunger” to tread a new path and push boundaries. To be honest I felt that I was no longer giving my best to CARPATHIAN FOREST. It had started to become routine, and things had stopped being inspiring, so that writing new material was becoming harder. There were probably various reasons involved, but in the end I felt it would be better for CARPATHIAN FOREST if they injected some new blood into their ranks, someone who had the energy and inspiration that I was beginning to lack. Someone who could push them further. I didn’t want to be the one to hold them back because I couldn’t give them 100% of myself.

“At the same time I had reached the point where I myself was in need that same inspiration and drive in order to regain my focus. When we held the online vocalist auditions, there were two contributions in particular that grabbed my attention and I found myself rewinding the songs and listening to them again and again. The talent and effort they demonstrated really got my creativity going and that was just what I was looking for. One thing both BloodPervertor and I were sure about was that we wanted to continue the interplay we had developed over the years in CARPATHIAN FOREST, so we made our choice and with a new vocalist onboard we are now hard at work on new material and have already started booking live shows, so we are definitely hitting the ground running. I think it’s fair to say that the passion is slowly growing within us again and we are looking forward to meeting old and new fans again soon”.

The 3rd ATTEMPT’s first live appearance will be on the 18th February at Blastfest in Bergen, Norway.

Guitarists Tchort (CARPATHIAN FOREST, ex EMPEROR, ex BLOOD RED THRONE) and BloodPervertor (CARPATHIAN FOREST, APOSTASY, ex NEONGOD) have launched a new band named THE 3rd ATTEMPT, which CARPATHIAN FOREST fans will recognise as the title of a track from the “Black Shining Leather” album.

Commenting on the decision to launch a new project BloodPervertor had this to say: “We are both the kind of musicians who very much enjoy what we do, both in the studio and on stage, and we wanted to be more active live than CARPATHIAN FOREST has allowed us to be over the past couple of years”. Tchort added: “Our fans and people in the business know that we bring hunger and passion to the table, and that we are all about quality and professionalism, and everyone should expect nothing less from THE 3rd ATTEMPT”.

Having formed the band at the beginning of 2014, the two guitarists have a full-length album already written, and are currently looking to complete the lineup ready to begin recording and to prepare for live appearances. Tchort and BloodPervertor will both be leaving CARPATHIAN FOREST in order to give their full attention to the new band.

More details about the band will be relevealed shortly. In the mean time information about THE 3rd ATTEMPT can be found on the band’s official Facebook page here.

A brand new extreme metal festival is set to take place in Bergen, Norway from February 20th-22nd.

With a deep and rich tradition of metal, both as host of the infamous Hole In The Sky festival and the great newcomer Beyond The Gates Festival, it is also the hometown of many great and famous bands from the dearly beloved dark side of metal. The festival will be held in the darkest time of the year. Cold winds and snow will lay the perfect scene for the atmosphere we want to create.

Surrounded by the seven famous mountains, the main venue, USF Verftet, is based right at the dock by the city fjord, and second venue, Garage, is in the heart of town. Bergen is the second biggest city in Norway and counts 250,000 habitants. With a rich cultural tradition alongside the beautiful nature, Blastfest will also have a focus towards the town of Bergen and its history. The promoters want you to see what the town really is. In cooperation with the Viking community and cultural institutions of Bergen they want to bring you a unique experience combining your passion for metal music with nature, history and of course, the Vikings. This may be an indoor festival, but that does not mean they cannot use the whole city as our festival ground.

Tomorrow, Thursday September 5th, will be aired a Special Episode “Let There Be Darkness” on http://www.bemowo.fm. The show is fully dedicated to the heavier styles of music. Death Metal and Black Metal, mixed with a hint of Prog and Power.

What bands can you expect? To name a few: Vader, Dimmu Borgir, Behemoth, Asphyx, Nile, Anorexia Nervosa, Insision, Samael, Evergrey, Carpathian Forest and many more!! Get ready for some heavy ear candy!!

Listen on thursday to friday night at midnight on http://www.bemowo.fm. The coming show is half in English and half in Polish.